Penn State has landed one of 2018's most physically gifted prospects in Under Armour All-American defensive end Jayson Oweh. See below for when Oweh could begin making noise in the Big Ten:
What he brings: Oweh is a rangy, athletic edge defender whose best football is still very much ahead of him. The four-star recruit has a basketball background and only two years of high school football experience, but off raw ability and upside he has quickly ascended to become one of the more promising prospects in this class. He is tall with excellent length and physical upside with continued development. He possesses good range to be a factor in pursuit, flashes good initial burst and, despite a lean build, demonstrates very good raw strength. Oweh needs to continue to gain experience and further develop physically and technically, but possesses a high ceiling for development.
How he fits: The ESPN 300 defender has only really begun to scratch the surface of what he is capable of. Despite making good strides in a short amount of time, he is still somewhat new to the game, raw in areas, and will likely need some developmental time. We would not be surprised if Oweh redshirts, and we feel he could greatly benefit from doing that. Penn State does have enough depth and experience returning at DE to allow it to bring Oweh along slowly and let him gain needed experience and further fill out his big and lengthy frame. While his initial impact could be limited, he possesses the physical tools to give the Nittany Lions' defense a very disruptive edge defender in time. He could make for a talented defensive end pairing with rising sophomore Yetur Gross-Matos.
Reminds us of: A tall, rangy and athletic edge defender with a basketball background and upside, Oweh reminds us some of Georgia OLB Lorenzo Carter. The Bulldogs defender was an ESPN 300 DE in the 2014 class and was further along at the same stage, but Oweh does display some similar ability along with promising upside.
How the class is shaping up: Coach James Franklin and his staff have made the most of their recent on-field success and have a top-five class in sight. The class is headlined by five-star defensive end Micah Parsons and receiver Justin Shorter, and speedy ESPN 300 running back Ricky Slade. A pair of four-star tight ends, Patrick Freiermuth and Zack Kuntz, fill a key need. ESPN 300 tackle Nana Asiedu and ESPN 300 guard Fredrick Scruggs were also key wins at a position of need.
On defense, linebacker and defensive line were the key positions of need in the class, and Jesse Luketa and Nick Tarburton are athletic prospects to know and remember. Signing ESPN 300 defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher and four-star DT Aeneas Hawkins to go with Parsons is huge for the Nittany Lions. Four-star defensive back Jordan Miner was a nice win out of the Sunshine State, as was Oweh, who is from New Jersey and ranked No. 20 among defensive ends in the ESPN 300.